ANKLE STANCE ANGLE - A FUNCTIONAL INDEX FOR THE EVALUATION OF SCIATIC-NERVE RECOVERY AFTER COMPLETE TRANSECTION

This study attempted to develop a motor functional index, ankle stance angle (ASA), to assess rat sciatic nerve regeneration subsequent to a utografting. ASA, 50 degrees in normal rats, is the ankle joint angle at the mid-stance phase of the gait cycle. In a nerve graft group, a l -cm segment of the right sciatic nerve was transected and then repaire d with nerve autograft, in an ungrafted group, the nerve gap was left unrepaired. ASA measured 4 months after surgery was statistically sign ificantly larger in the nerve graft group (36 degrees) than in the ung rafted group (22 degrees). The results suggest that ASA is more sensit ive than sciatic function index in detecting functional recovery after a complete sciatic nerve lesion. ASA also showed a significant correl ation with the passive range of ankle joint motion and gastrocnemius m uscle weight. The study concluded that ASA is a reliable index for ass essment of regeneration of rat sciatic nerve after a complete lesion. The intra-rater reliability (r = 0.97 and 0.90) and inter-rater reliab ility (r = 0.85) tests performed support the conclusions.